I’ve always had a thing for whales. One of my favorite stuffed animals when I was a child was a Shamu (before we all knew how awful SeaWorld is: Blackfish, a documentary film ). The whale is variously misnamed: killer whale (a smart carnivore, but by no means a psychopath); orcinus orca (creepy, meaning “from the kingdom of the dead”); blackfish (yes, black; but no, not a fish). The whale sings and clicks in communication. Matriarchs rule the family, and remember whale history. Sometimes I can see members of the J, K, or L pods swimming by in the straits close to my home, and I’ve been transfixed, blissed out, watching them. So when a Moth StorySlam themed JOY came up, I wanted to include an orca-blackfish-killer whale as part of my story. (There are other, un-whaley, parts, too)

“Julie Trimingham has written about opera, nothingness, and filmmaking. Her tendency is to astonish with invention. This month it’s beekeeping. As in, she kept bees, became intimate with bees, had a difficult relationship with bees. It’s an eco-truism that the sad decline of the bee population is a harbinger of general collapse. But instead of moaning and wringing her hands, Julie actually went out and did something. And the essay in this month’s issue is her paean to bees, the strange, social, busy, mythic bee.” from Douglas Glover’s introduction to the January 2016 issue of Numéro Cinq, read more here: http://numerocinqmagazine.com/2015/12/26/the-queen-bee-issue-numero-cinqs-january-preview/

To know is to love is to protect. Clearwater, a documentary feature film, aims to get audiences to know, love, and protect the Salish Sea. The Pickford Film Center in Bellingham will be screening excerpts from the work-in-progress on Sunday, December 6 at 5:30pm. All proceeds from ticket sales will go toward finishing the film. I have been brought on as a producer to the film, and am delighted to be part of this event. Producer/Director Tracy Rector of Longhouse Media, Emmy Award winning cinematographer Laura James, and Coast Salish traditional artist Joe Seymour will be present and discuss their work. Clearwater excerpts are now a part of video installation in the permanent collection at the Seattle Art Museum. Clearwater is supported by the SundanceInstitute, the Tribecca Film Institute, and will be broadcast on PBS (and yes, it still needs funding). Tickets are $15and available here.

“If you search the library shelves for A Guide for the Perplexed, you will find three books: one by Maimonides, the Sephardic astronomer, scholar and philosopher; one by Werner Herzog, the German filmmaker; and one by Krauss. The universe is filled with unexpected connections. I am a perplexed filmmaker who turns to astrology in moments of desperation. Lawrence Krauss, Phd, cosmologist, is also now an actor in a Werner Herzog film.”

How it starts: Before you were a mermaid, you were a girl in baker’s whites. You’ve told me about arpeggiating in front of your first singing teacher, an Italian soprano who would clasp her left breast, squeeze it, and demand, at the end of your run, Another one for baby Jesus! I love this image. Can you please elaborate?

Fides Krucker (FK):When I was young, hardly twenty, I ran my father’s bakery. This was industrial baking, we made thousands of croissants an hour… flaky, buttery, high-end ones…

Way Elsewhere, a collection of fictional essays will be coming out soon from Lettered Streets Press. I’ve had fun performing at The Moth, events where people tell short, true, first-person stories. And I write for Numéro Cinq, an online magazine, which is great fun. I’m currently drafting my second novel.

WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

I am trying to understand some things about people. How to find the love in any situation, or the hurt, the humor, the humanity.

WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR MORE FROM?

I’d like to hear a gorgeous cacophony of voices that have not always been heard widely. There’s room for everyone. We need everyone. There are so many ways of being a person, there are so many ways of telling a story. Women of color, indigenous women, women in poverty, women in abusive relationships, women in cultures where being a woman is not encouraged: these women have voices and important stories.